Rats' Instincts
by HikariHina
Summary: Victoria had always met a certain blond man when she was young. Who'd knew that he had something she'd want later on in the future? Who cares, she's finally reunited with her younger sister.
1. Curse

Information

They call her the Instinct Alchemist. Why, do you ask? For one thing, she always relies on her instincts. That's her most strongest weapon. The other weapons she uses are objects with blades (knives, swords, etc.) and animals. That's the second reason they call her that. Just like her, animals rely on their instincts. This female can call up any animal she chooses and ask them to battle along side her. She can even talk to the animals and understand them. Her special, alchemic ability is bringing up minor vermin. She can somehow transmute live rats and mice. Someone would ask her "_Why just rats and mice? If you could do better, why not transmute a lion or.. a dinosaur?_" The only thing she'd reply with was; "_Rats have known to be familiars to demons. They are sly, sneaky and always able to do their job. Have the rats on your side and it'd be an easy victory for you._"

Her name is Victoria Wilston. She's always hated that name, for it's nicknames. The first nickname was Vic, which she always thought was a guy nickname. The other was Vicky. She just thought it was 'icky' with 'V' attatched to it. To start off, she is 17, born on April 7th. Her hair is obsidion, tinted with a bit of blue when the light shines in an appropiate spot of her hair. She has bright, violet eyes that can easily deceive, depending on your relationship with her. Her outfit varies, depending on the mood, and how the day is like. But ever since the death of her whole family, she's been... emotionless. It seemed that most of her relatives had been wiped out by some asassins that have been hired by an anonymous goon. Her parents had told her why that happened, which was because of their family treasure. Just to be safe, they tried their best to ignore the reasons for their families' deaths and of what the family treasure was about.

Family.. The only family she had left were her parents. Her beautiful mother, Cami Silver, was where she got her on-looking eyes, girlish-figure, intelligence and wits from. Her mother had shining pink hair and vivid, violet eyes. Her skin was normally tan, but everyone usually thought she just sat in the sun for hours. Victoria's father, Victor Wilston, was where she had gotten her hair color, strength and sly actions from. Her father had the same color hair and dark, blue eyes. Victoria had gotten her name from her father. Her mother had worked as a regular house wife, cleaning and cooking, watching over Victoria. Whenever she had free time, she'd make some jewelry and sell them. Her father worked as a bartender far out into the city, but on his own time, he'd teach some young boys, even Victoria, some martial arts skills, since he was one of the 'professionals' himself.

Victoria had lived in a quiet neighborhood with her parents, far off from the city. Both her parents thought it'd give Victoria a better start at life. But having lost most of her relatives at such a young age.. that wasn't much of a good start, now was it? That was just the beginning. Here's a story of Victoria Wilston. Starting from the death of her relatives, ending it to... Oh, you'll see.

**Story**

"Another death of a Wilston member, I see. Could they be cursed?" Silent mutters could be heard from behind the three relatives of the dead beings. Annoyed, by the loss of more relatives and uncaring people, Victoria turned around to the two elderly women whispering to each other. "If you don't care for us then leave us alone! Stop spreading treacherous rumors about my family! We don't need you!" Lifting a balled fist into the air, something had taken ahold of her wrist, ceasing the blow Victoria had thought would have connected with the dense woman's face. As she writhed in the grip of the other, her free hand had started clawing at the skin of her holder, tears now streaming down her face in anger and depression. "I apologize, deeply, for my daughter's ill-mannered behavior. She's just lost another cousin, who could blame her?"

The women nodded, leaving the two alone. As Victoria's father knelt down to her, he gently wiped away her tears, his face expressing a bit of sadness itself. "Now, now, Victoria.. Just because one of your cousins had died.. does not mean you can take it out on an innocent being, let alone it being an elderly woman that's about to leave for her own time." Victoria stomped onto the dull grass, a bit of dust churning into the air as some particles reached her dress. "I will never, in my life, forgive anyone who dare turns their back against us! Others think we're being cursed because of so many deaths of our family!" Being at the age of twelve, she was easily annoyed by anyone who said one bad thing about her family. "I know but.. Who could blame them?" Her father said before standing back up and walking in the direction of his wife.

"Mama.. Papa.. How can you live in such a place? With all these people that could be lying to you..?" Victoria cried out, watching as her parents were laughing away their sorrows with people the people they called 'friends'. As she was thinking about the others, some kids have been playing tag in the cemetery for some reason, passing by Victoria. Though one kid had been left behind, the one being 'it', and accidentally ran into Victoria, causing her to fall onto the ground, face first into a patch of flowers that were sprouting.

"Haha!! Look, guys! Cursed girl fell down!" A little boy shouted in glee, laughter following after. His friends had joined in with the laugh. Victoria felt weak. She wanted to just get up and sock the kids' in their chest, making them cry for mercy. With all the training, sparring, she had endured during those times when her father was teaching her some moves, she thought she could do that, easily. But with the kids' laughter, she felt their breath weighing her down. She felt numb, she couldn't even move a finger. Right now, gravity wasn't on her side.

As she just stayed on the ground, the laughter of the boys had stopped. She thought that she was able to get up, but she was wrong. The weight was still there. But when she stayed down, she was able to think. 

Why am I laying here?

Some guy ran into you.

_Why did he run into me?_

You just stood there.

_Why?_

Because you were cursing the others that hated you.

_Curse... I want to curse them. For thinking my family was cursed. _

You're not able to do such a thing.. Now snap back into reality!

Victoria had realized that she drifted off into a light slumber, but was surprised to realize she could move again. Although she didn't even try to get up this time, she just stayed on the soft grass. Hair sprawled out, like a thin blanket covering the top of her head and backside. Just as she was thinking of taking a little nap, she saw black boots in front of her when she shifted. She squinted her eyes, wondering if she wasn't just seeing things. Slowly bringing her hand to the boots, she reached out, wanting to touch them. Once she had a good look, touch, of the boots, she quickly sat up and looked at the other.

Golden hues looked straight into her's, making Victoria feel a bit nervous. She had felt even more nervous finding out it was a guy. His hair had matched his eyes, being such a bright blonde.

"Need some help getting up?" The guy asked.

Being a bit stunned by such beauty and kindness, especially to someone like Victoria, all she could do is nod, lifting her hand up so it could be taken by him. His grip was so gentle, like handling a newborn puppy, or a delicate flower. Though his hand was concealed with a rough glove. Now standing, Victoria quickly took her hand back, looking straight at the guy, her face obviously showing anger. She could tell he was a bit confused as to why she was angry. She didn't want to tell him, but since she was angry at everything, she just wanted to shout out why anyway.

"Why were you willing to help me up?"

The guy just brung an arm over his chest, the other hand resting itself on his chin as the elbow laid onto the opposite hand. "Isn't that the only thing to do when someone fell? Oh, and I told those guys to leave you alone.. It seemed they were the cause of your fall." Before the guy could turn to where the boys ran off to, Victoria swung her now fisted hand at the neck of him. With just one swift movement, he crossed both of his arms in front of him, blocking her attack. "What was that for?" He narrowed his eyes, now feeling the pressure of her fist. "Not giving up, are ya?"

The annoyed expression on Victoria's face told him she just wanted to kill him. Just as she was about to break through his crossed arms, something wrapped around her waist, lifting her up and then bring her back against something strong and hard. The last time she was pressed against something like this was when her father would stop her from doing something rash. The strong thing was his chest, the hard thing was his abs. He worked out hard enough to make his body seem and feel like steel.

"If you continue to attack anything that moves, I may have to take away your most prized possession." Victor said with a sigh, shaking his head as he turned to look at the guy that had helped his daughter. "Who's this? He seems like a kind young man.." He grinned as he looked down to see his daughter. The grin faded away and formed into a frown, seeing that she still had that 'have-to-kill' look on her face. Shaking the look out of his mind, he looked back at the blonde boy and softly smiled. "Young man, what is your name?"

Flashing a bright smile, the other pointed to himself with his thumb. "I'm E--"

"Brother! I think we've found something! Hurry over here!" A voice from afar cried out, hoping their brother would have heard.

The blonde boy turned his head in the direction of the voice, then back at Victoria and her father "Sorry. But I have to go now." He gave a polite smile and ran off, following the voice.

"Isn't he a kind fellow?" Victor nervously laughed, hoping to cheer Victoria up.

"Victor!" A joyful shout alerted Victoria, a smile playing across her lips.

"It seems you know it's time to go home.." Victoria's father chuckled as the two walked over to her mother who was waiting for them by their car.

xXxXx

_**xox**_

xXxXx

"Why not you and your father go out?" Cami, Victoria's mother, asked while she washed the dishes.

Victoria, now at the age of seventeen, had now fully dyed her hair a royal blue and wore bright, pink contacts. "I guess.. Papa! Why not we go training today?" She raced to the bottom of the stairs, looking up to see if her father was awake.

"Sure. Go get ready and I'll follow after." He responded, his voice sounding a bit muffled which told Victoria that he was already getting dressed.

Victoria sprinted out through the doors, running along the grass as she extended her arms out from her sides, pretending to fly. A smile graced her lips as she stared at a tree, running as fast as she could over to it. When she ran to the tree, she quickly climbed up it, dragging herself along the splintered bark up onto a sturdy branch. She sat herself onto the branch, looking around the neighborhood in awe. No matter how many times she's viewed the place like this, she'll always find the view to be beautiful. Although something not too far from her house caught her eye. It was something that she found familiar, but the thing couldn't come to mind fast enough.

Jumping down from the branch, she took out a marker and started to draw a transmutation circle on the palm of her right hand. Yes, she is left-handed. After she slipped the marker back into her pocket, she walked over to the things that had caught her attention. She quickly stopped in her tracks, feeling a bit odd about this. Her instincts had told her to continue to venture forth while her legs demanded her to run off. The feeling in her stomach was undescribable, but since she relied so much on her instincts, she silently did what they told, walking toward to her destination. As she squinted her eyes, she noticed it was of a girl. She wore a red, trench coat and had blonde hair that was held in a braid. That was all she could tell of her, seeing that her back was facing Victoria. There was a clad of armor standing proud beside the trench-coated woman, making Victoria feel a bit unsure, but continued to walk more.

Victoria extended her arm forward, gently tapping the other on her shoulder. "Excuse me, miss? If you're lost, I have a map in my house. I can go fetch it for you if you want.." She quickly stepped back, having a dumbfounded look wash over her face.

"Excuse me? Miss? Do I look like a girl to you?!" The person turned around, now telling Victoria that this was a man and not a woman.

"I'm so sorry! When I saw your back.. your hair.. by the look of it, you looked like a hair! I mean, girl! Damn my stupid mind." Victoria hissed the last part to herself, noticing that she was stumbling in her words.

"Oh, so I look like a strand of hair now?! FIRST I'M CALLED SHORT, THEN A GIRL, NOW I'M ANOREXIC TO YOU?! WHAT AM I, A TEST DUMMY FOR INSULTS!?!?" The man shouted, causing Victoria to cover her ears with her hands.

"Agh, just shut UP!" Victoria hissed again, her right palm now glowing, a bit of the light seeping through between her fingers. This alerted the man and his friend.

But before Victoria could do anything, a white mouse had crept out from under her shirt, leaping to the man's shirt like a bat gracefully gliding the air.

The mouse now scurrying to the man's shoulder, his anger had fully left him, chuckling as he took the mouse into the palms of his hands. "What a cute lil' fella. Since it came out of your shirt..." He paused, thinking of how the mouse ended up in there in the first place, but shook it off after. "I'm assuming this little guy belongs to you."

Victoria snorted, folding her arms across her chest. She was a bit annoyed by this guy for some reason. "Well, you're just a little bipolar kinda guy, aren't cha?" She hissed as she let her gaze drop to the mouse he held. Extending a hand, she quickly retrieved the mouse back, holding it close to her chest like it was a newborn child that she had got finished baring into the world. Her hand gently stroked the fur as the other held it up against her.

"I'm not little you stupid brat." The man hissed back, annoyed by her own behavior.

"Don't call me a brat, short pup!" Victoria spat, trying her best to insult him the best she can.

"Um, why not we just try to get along?" A gentle voice escaped from the large armor, catching Victoria completely off guard. She never expected such a kind, caring voice to come from such a man that stayed in armor, even on a perfect day like this.

Victoria sighed and held out her hand, looking over to the blonde man. "Only because the other said so. I'm Victoria Marie Wilston."

The man just smiled, bringing out his own hand then shaking it with hers. "The one in armor is my little brother, Alphonse. My name's Edward. Edward Elric. And I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!" He chirped proudly.

"An alchemist, eh?" Victoria grinned, now taking her hand back. "Fullmetal Alchemist... how'd you get that title?"

"Ah, easy. Because.. because.. Hey, Al, how did I get that name?" Edward turned to face the amored man, scratching the back of his head.

"Ha! And you call yourself an alchemist! You can't even remember how you got your name! Haha!" Victoria burst out laughing, but stopped once her mouse leapt out from her grip then watched it scurry off.

"Shut up, you.. You know, there's something about you that's familiar.. But I just can't put my finger on it.." Edward placed his hand on his chin, looking at Victoria.

"Victoria.. Stay away from him.. He's just.. just a.." Someone started to sputter, coughing and wheezing like no tomorrow.

Victoria turned around, only to be shocked by the scene. Her skin had turned pale, pupils dialated like the sun hit directly at her eyes. When she turned around, she had found her father clinging for dear life on the trunk of an old tree. His face was the color of rough chalk, his skin even seemed rough. There were scars visible on his face and everywhere on his skin. He fell onto his stomach, telling the others that he couldn't handle anymore, having the need to give up now.

"P-Papa!" Victoria screamed, rushing over to her wounded father. She knelt down beside him, placing his head onto her lap. "Papa, what happened to you?" She had started to sob, not knowing what to do.

"My child.. Those who have... have killed our family... they had came back to rid of us... I don't know about your mother... but... I beg of you... Run off and protect yourself... leave me and your mother behind. We're through with... Victoria, run to safety..." His voice was soft, a bit rigid on the edges, but it was still soft. It worried Victoria, she didn't want to do anything. She brung herself into him, nuzzling herself against him, not caring if any blood had stained her clothes or skin. The only thing she cared about was her father right now.

"Papa.. I'm going to look for mother.. Please, stay awake. No matter what, don't close your eyes. No matter what, don't leave me! Promise you'll be with me! Forever with Mama!" Victoria silently cried, biting down onto her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. She didn't want to cry loud enough to hurt her father. He seemed so weak that even a broken leaf would do better damage than the wicked air that was already bruising his fresh wounds.

Not wasting anymore time, Victoria gently placed her father back on the ground, rushing off to her home, hoping her mother was still alright.

"Shouldn't we do something, brother?" Alphonse spoke, watching the girl run off.

"Go follow her, make sure she's okay. I want to know more about her." Edward said, kneeling down near the older male. He heard Alphonse's loud clanking feet as he raced over to her, rushing to her side. Edward just brung his hand to the buttons of the man's shirt, slowly rising to the pockets. He saw something just poke out, and wanted to know what it was. Before he could move his hand, the hand of the older male quickly gripped onto Edward's wrist, scaring him a bit. "You're still alive?"

"Yes.. Now please.. Give this to my daughter, Victoria... this will explain.. everything... to her... Also notify her... Demand her this... I beg of her to just do this.. one last thing.. for me... Ask her to never... ever rely on the military and their mangy hounds. Tell her to never join the military... Just... tell... her... that mil..itar..." His voice trailed off, his eyes slowly closing. This told Edward he was finished. But before he could leave, he took the item the older male had held in his hand. "Give her this..." He examined the item, telling himself it was just a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. The pendant was a locket and it seemed that it couldn't be opened with just anything.

Edward stood, now walking off to the house.

xXxXx

"Mama!! Mama!! Where are you, Mama?! We need to hurry! Papa is hurt!" Victoria shouted, desperate to find her mother. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks, dampening the front of her shirt as the tears reached the fabric. Before she could give up and just break down into more tears, the front door of her house swung opened, Edward revealing himself in the doorway. Victoria ran over to him, placing her hands onto his arms. "Why did you leave Papa! Is.. is Papa okay..?" She started to lose her voice, almost squeaking at the end of her sentence. She practically shook him, wanting good information to escape him.

Edward looked down, telling her that it was too late.

Victoria held back more tears, knowing that crying more would only result in a terrible eyesight later on. She walked over to a chair, sitting onto it as she let a few tears escape her tearducts, knowing that she was unable to just hold them back manually. While she cried, Alphonse placeed a gloved hand onto her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Edward just walked up to her and placed the necklace in her lap, causing Victoria to stop crying a bit, her attention now onto the necklace.

Bringing the necklace into her hands, she looked around, then whistled. "Roxy. Come here, sweetie." She softly spoke, a single white mouse quickly prancing over and into her hands. "Do you think you can open this? Please and thank you..." Victoria felt like toppling over. All the crying had completely made her exhausted, plus the image of her now deceased father. She had started to think about the events that had just taken place as her mouse started to work on the lock. With just a few more seconds, the lock was opened, revealing a piece of paper. But that wasn't the only thing. Inside the heart-shaped pendant held two pictures. The left side was of her mother and the right side was of her late father. The pictures looked like they've been recently taken, just like the necklace. Like this present has been planned.

Taking the paper, she unfolded it to reveal a large letter written on it. Quickly scanning the paper, she read through it. The two men had just watched her the whole time, then quickly cringed as she started to cry again. Victoria, being depressed once again after minutes, had let go of the letter, allowing Edward to take the paper and read it for himself.

_Dear Victoria, _

Once you read this, you know that I, your father, have already passed on to a better  
place. Your mother may be somewhere, or next to you reading this along with you, but know  
that she'll be safe. I have once made a deal to someone that if I gave myself to them at an  
early time, they promised to not even harm a single strand of hair on you or your mother's  
body. But I have to ask you one thing, promise me that you will never give in to the military,  
alright? Your mother and I don't want your alchemic abilities to go to waste by those  
wretched beings. Anyway, this letter was to inform you on things about our family. First,  
the family treasure. I will tell you what and where it is, and I want you to retrieve the  
treasure to save you and your mother. Our family treasure is a map. It is held somewhere  
near the terrible Central Headquarters, which holds many Alchemists. I don't know what  
they'll do to you, so promise me that when you go to retrieve the map, don't let them catch  
you. I don't know and don't want to know what they'll do to you once they catch you. The  
map.. Is of a long lost relative of yours. Try not to go beserk once you finish reading this  
letter, alright my child? Long ago, when you were just a young toddler, your mother had  
given birth to another baby girl - your younger sister. We named her Nami. But she was  
born on the Devil's Day. Her hair was a fierce pink and her eyes were a shocking violet,  
just like yours. We had to let her go, we had no choice. She was sought to have legendary  
powers. The map, our family treasure, leads you to your sister. We, your mother and I,  
beg of you to go fetch your sister and protect her no matter what. That leads to the  
conclusion of this letter.. Know this, Victoria. Even if your mother and I both pass on,  
just know that we'll always watch over you, be with you and protect you. We will never  
let harm come your way. We love you, Victoria. Promise us to stay alive and well. If  
you do, we promise to give you something wonderful in return, including the present of a  
younger sibling.

Love,  
Your Mother and Father

"Wait a minute... A young girl named Nami, orphaned when she was just a baby... Pink hair and violet eyes. Al, doesn't this girl sound familiar?" Edward looked at the back of the paper and plucked something from the back. It was a picture of what Victoria's younger sister looked like. "Yep.. this is her alright..." Edward spoke before glancing over to Victoria. She had already placed the necklace around her neck, and was now clutching it close to her chest as her mouse friend, Roxy, tried comforting her. Edward glanced over to his brother, giving him a look.

Alphonse nodded and walked over to Victoria, trying to help her up off the couch. "Victoria, my brother and I know where your sister is..."

Hope washing over her, Victoria stared at the amor, a faint smile reaching her lips. With that smile, Edward gave Victoria the picture he found. Victoria stared at the picture, smiling as she saw how beautiful her sister was when she was young. At the back of the photo, it held information about her. What year she was born in, what gender, and more. After examining the photo, the three ran off to the brothers' home.

xXxXx

Reaching the house of the Elric brothers' friend's house, Victoria just bashed through the door, only caring for the sister she never met. She looked around, trying to look everywhere not even a mice could reach. She looked under the couch, in bookshelves, in keyholes, under tables, like if her sister was a rat herself.

Frustuated, she whipped out the marker, frantically drawing the transmutation circle on her palm, then quickly brung it to the ground. "Do your thing, Roxy." The floors had started to rumble, causing Edward to lose some balance. A single floorboard sprung up, a wave of mice now scouring the area.

"Woah, woah.. Wait a minute now.. You don't have to do that.. Just go into that room.." Edward pointed to a door far off. As the mice continued to scurry along the floor, Victoria walked over to the door, then turned the knob, swinging the door fully open.

Chills ran up her spine as she walked over to the other person sitting on a bed, sitting herself on the edge of the bed as she stared. She fit the description of what her father described her to be. She was more beautiful than when she was younger. Victoria, now overjoyed, wrapped herself around her younger sister, bringing her into a tight embrace. But after what seemed like an eternity, Victoria had let go of Nami, staring at her in awe.

The young, pink haired female blinked curiously. "Who are you?"

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo  
A/N's Just some notes; in my fic, Edward and Alphonse never went through the gate. Later on, in the story if I make it that far they somehow find the Philosopher's Stone and are able to fix their bodies back to normal. Victoria is the very same age of Edward and.. oh and I was only planning on this to just be information on my original character, but it somehow turned into a story that may have more chapters to it. D... And the next chapter may either be the continuation of the story or the pictures of Victoria and her parents and other characters that I may add if I ever get that far. Or I could just put those pictures in my profile. Sorry for any typos/mistakes I've made and for how the story ended all crappy-like! I finished this story up when it was morning and I never got any sleep. So... yeah. :D;;;

Nami Elric: ... EDWARD 33

PezziePinay: NO, MINE -Tackles to ground.-

Nami Elric: -Rolls on the ground, dodging the tackle.-

PezziePinay: ... Grr. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. Siblings

It's been two days since Victoria had met her sister. Now her, Nami and the two Elric brothers were sitting on couches, talking about their life. Victoria and Nami sat on a couch, holding hands, thinking they'd become seperated if they let go. While the Elric brothers sat in front of them on another couch, just watching them act like sisters. Nami was able to tell Victoria on how she became a part of the Elrics' life while Victoria had told the three about her life. She didn't care that Edward and Alphonse were there, since she mostly kept her full attention to Nami.

As Victoria finished rambling about her life, Nami couldn't help but look down, feeling a bit sad.

"Is there something wrong, Nami?" Victoria spoke softly, her instincts telling her to console her sister the best she could.

Shaking her head, Nami looked up at Victoria, staring deep into her eyes. "All this time... I've been dumped in the street.. I never knew that I actually had a family!"

Victoria couldn't help but let out a low snarl before hugging Nami. "But now you do.. and I promise to protect you no matter what..."

The brothers watched as the two sisters embraced each other, but couldn't help to think about something that filled their minds moments ago with Victoria's life story.

"Victoria. Remember a few days ago when you had that letter? I read it and it said something about... Your father making a deal with someone so they won't hurt you or your mother.. Then there's your story about your family was killed one by one, by mysterious assassins that were hired by some guy. Why did all that happen to you?" Edward said with a thoughtful expression stuck on his face.

That question struck Victoria, it just made her lungs sink to her stomach, her heart to freeze for a few seconds and her brain to malfunction for a minute. But once she felt ready to speak again, she looked over to Nami, stroking her hair a bit before bringing her hands into her lap, looking at Edward.

"Remember when my father spoke of our family treasure? How it was.. a big treasure.." Victoria grimaced, thinking that she could continue, but somehow couldn't.

"Yeah, but it was just a map to your sister. I mean..." Edward scratched the back of his head, wondering what to say next.

"Like father said.. Nami seems to have some legendary powers since she was born on the Devil's Day.. Everyone born on the same day Nami was would know what we're speaking of since they, too, have powers of their own..." Glancing over at her sister, she noticed the expression on her face, how sad it seemed. "Is something wrong... sis?"

Showing Victoria a smile, she shook her head, indicating that everything was alright. Nami enjoyed the feeling she felt when someone called her sis.

Smiling back to Nami, she quickly snapped her attention to Edward, her smile disappeared as she had a certain look in her eyes. "You're a part of the military, right.." Victoria's voice had trailed off, feeling a bit of guilt build up in her system. "Edward.. Since you are Colonel.. Do you think.. Um.. well.." Feeling flustered, she twiddled her fingers, putting on the 'innocent-school-girl-act' but then stopped, realizing she wasn't asking for a cookie. Pounding her hands onto the mattress, she looked at Edward, telling him that what she was about to say was how she felt. "Help me become a State Alchemist!"

Hearing those words spurt out from her sister's mouth, Nami placed her hands on each of Victoria's shoulders as if calming her down. "But didn't dad just finish telling you over and over again not to?" The look in Nami's eyes told - pleaded - Victoria not to go against their father's wishes. Although Victoria thought differently about her father's thoughts.

"That was when he was alive! That was when I thought he'd stay forever! Not when he'd leave the next day! Forget his wishes; I'm going to become a State Alchemist!!" Victoria spoke, looking right at Nami. "Nami, if the goon is still alive, he'll continue to target us until he gets you. Since I promised to protect you.. I won't let that bastard lay a single strand of his hair on you!" Gently prying Nami's hands from her shoulders, she looked at the two brothers who were just watching the whole scene.

"Are you guys going to help or what?"

Edward just looked away, a bit uncertain if he should allow her into one of the exams or not. Even he promised Victoria's old man that he won't let Victoria try out as a State Alchemist. "Sure, Victoria... but I'll only let you try out on one condition..."

Nami couldn't believe what she was hearing from her brother. "Edward!"

All he could do was look away. He shrugged it off as if it was just a little fly, but of course, to Nami it was bigger than a fly. "The condition is.. If you help me and my brother to look for the Philosopher's Stone.." Narrowing his eyes in Victoria's direction, he heard a gasp of shock from his brother and sister.

"The Stone, eh? That thing is really real? All this time, I always thought Uncle Sylvester was crazy. So there's really such a thing? The Philosopher's Stone.. whoever possesses the stone can retrieve so much power.. they can do anything with it.." Victoria said, remembering the words her uncle said to her whenever she met him at family reunions. "He also said there was a terrible secret behind the stone but never told me because I was too young." She scoffed, thinking of how lame her uncle was back then. But she immediately regretted that thought, realizing that she was calling her late uncle Sylvester lame.

"How did your uncle know about the stone?" Alphonse shifted, leaning a bit towards Victoria's direction.

Victoria hesitated, carefully choosing the words she was going to say first. "Well.. my uncle is an alchemist... then there was something that he regretted doing.. he was a state alchemist... funny thing was that he wasn't the only one in our family to become one, but he was the only one to keep that secret from my father.. He had all this information on everything.. including that stone that I thought was fake.. even about the kids born on Devil's Day.." As she said that, her gaze turned to Nami, eyes now flooding with concern for her younger sister.

"I'll help you with your stone stuff, but while I do, I'm going to need your help killing the bastard who killed our whole family." Looking down, Victoria jumped off the bed, walking towards the door. "I, uh.. Need to think about things though.." Without wasting time, she turned the knob of the door, racing through the doorway and into the family room. The door slowly swung open, then back, fully closing with a silent click.

Nami moved over to Edward, tapping him on his knee as he kept sitting at the edge of the bed. "Big brother, do you think you can go and talk to sissy? Please? I think you can help her out while I get sissy's surprise ready!" She let out a gentle giggle as she skipped over to her dresser, rummaging through the drawers, looking for something. Humming a short tune, she started to dance, thinking the words in her mind as she looked around her room for that certain something.

"Yeah. Alphonse, go help Nami with her surprise." Sighing, Edward stood and walked over to the door, but stopped as he laid his hand on the knob. He looked back, smiling when he heard the laughs from his brother and sister. "Seems like the family is starting to grow.. Somehow.." He continued to smile as he quietly slipped through the doors. Reaching the other room, he saw Victoria on the couch, her hand playing with her necklace as she watched Roxy on the coffee table run around. It seemed that Roxy wanted to cheer her up.

"Roxy.. You're so lucky.. Your family grows so fast, so even if over thousands of them are killed, there'll be more to continue on that family.." Victoria smiled, a large rat then appearing from behind the couch and climbing onto the coffee table. This rat was at least four times as big as Roxy. Even it's fur was different. It's fur wasn't as white as Roxy, it was a cloudy gray. As Roxy continued to run around, she ran back to the edge of the table then took a giant leap in Victoria's direction, landing in her lap. Trying to get her balance back, she scurried up Victoria's shirt and onto her shoulder.

"Eh? Really? You think they'll really be nice to us.. That'll be a change, seeing how so many hated the guts of anyone with the last name Wilston.." A sigh escaped her lips, following a gulp as Victoria thought of the Elric brothers, wondering of how they'd treat her, being the sister of Nami and all.

Taking this as an opportunity to be unnoticed, Edward walked over to the couch and sat at another side of the couch, giving Victoria enough space to make her feel comfortable. He crossed his left leg over his right, placing his arms on the back of the couch.

Startled, Victoria jumped back to the very edge of the couch, staring at what caused her to stop thinking. "Edward? What the hell are you doing here?"

Edward sneered, looking away from her. "So this is what I get for trying to help you out. A 'What the hell are you doing here?' Not a 'Thank you for checking up on me. I feel so greatful.'"

"Sorry.." Victoria mentally scoffed, then sighed. "You just scared me, that's all.. Whenever I'm thinking so hard about something.. even the littlest of things can scare me. Even the wind.."

"Really? Then what are you thinking so hard about?"

"... When I was just a little girl.. I met a guy that.. He resembled so much like an angel.. Golden hair and eyes.. But his outfit consisted of so much black.. I can still feel the gloves he wore.. and the boots, how I just reached out and grabbed them like they were vacant..." Victoria laid her head back, thinking back to when she was younger. "He was so kind to me.. While everyone else were calling me the Cursed Girl.. this certain guy just came up and helped me back up to my feet. I never got to know his name though.. I regret hitting him the way I did when I let my emotions get the better of me. He was so cute.." She paused, smiling at her own thoughts. "He actually made my heart flutter and it continued.. like butterflies were in my stomach. But I just wish I could tell him sorry for my own behavior.. instead of my father doing it for me.."

Cringing, Edward gently tapped Victoria on the shoulder, once. A mischievious grin played onto his lips as he switched seats, sitting in front of Victoria on top of the coffee table. "This guy had golden hair and eyes?"

"Yes.. He did... Why?"

"Gloves and boots with black clothing?"

"Yeah.. Why?"

"Helped you back onto your feet. Right?"

"Yes. Tell me why you're asking this right after I told you all that!"

That same grin stayed on Edward's lips, a chuckle escaping his throat. "I just have to say one thing.. Just continue on to your apology."

Victoria looked at Edward with a weird expression, like he was crazy. While she was thinking of how weird he was acting, it finally hit her. Her face had started to flush with embarrassment and anger. "Please tell me that you've also met this guy once... Please tell me he helped you out when you were in trouble."

Edward laughed, shaking his head. "Let's just say I'm closer to him than you'd know."

"Pfft.. Fine. I'm so sorry that I ever tried to kill you or even thought of it. I'm even sorry I thought you were cute and I regret that light feeling I had when I was around you." Victoria folded her arms, Roxy clinging to the fabric as she tried to get back onto her shoulder after slipping.

"Eh? When you were talking about me, you sounded so sincere. Now that you know you were talking about me, you act like you just fell in a pit of mud."

"That was when I had no idea you were the guy that helped me!"

The two exchanged glares, silently hissing to themselves.

When the two continued their glaring contest, they were inturrupted by the sudden slam of a door and loud squeals.

"Sissy, I have a surprise for you!!"

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Sorry for it being so short... er... and.. um... I just wanted to add another chapter okay!??!? is that so bad to do?!!? sorry.. I'm just hyper right now.. blah blsjs anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll be adding the other one soon..er.. or later..

oh and..

About the Edward being a Colonel and Roy being a ... well.. I'll only say that when it happens in the story.

If you've ever heard about Bluebird's Illusion, that one game, you'd get what I'm talking about.

Nami Elric: A game called Bluebird's Illusion..? Fullmetal Alchemist, right...?

PezziePinay: Yeah, and I'd show some sites on where to get information on it but for now.. go on Youtube and search "Bluebird's Illusion" or something like that, then click on page 2... Too bad there were only 100 copies of the game in China and Ebay!!

Nami Elric: Goes to youtube and later on asks for the links...

PezziePinay: Sneaky sneaky... Oh, if you want the link to the best site where you want info on BBI... message me, and if I'm not moody, I'll gladly send you the link! Or if I'm a bit... stressed, I'll just give you itty bits of information on the game.


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